Cathleen Crowley, left, and Tim O'Brien, right, enter the roundabout at Maxwell Rd. and Albany Shaker Rd. as they ride home from work at the Times Union Monday evening, May 12, 2014, in Colonie, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Times Union editor Rex Smith takes a selfie outside his home in Brunswick before departing on a bicycle ride to work at the Times Union Wednesday morning, May 7, 2014, in Brunswick, N.Y. (Rex Smith/Times Union)

Times Union Capital Bureau editor Casey Seiler takes a selfie arriving at the Capitol after riding his bicycle to work Tuesday morning, May 13, 2014, from his Pine Hills home in Albany, N.Y. (Casey Seiler/Times Union)

Times Union arts editor Gary Hahn takes a selfie outside his Albany home before departing on a bicycle ride to work at the Times Union Wednesday morning, May 7, 2014, in Albany, N.Y. (Gary Hahn/Times Union)

In advance of Friday's National Bike to Work Day, five Times Union reporters and editors rode to work to get a firsthand view of the benefits and challenges.

Arts Editor Gary Hahn is a regular bike commuter with experience under his wheels. Times Union Editor Rex Smith is an avid cyclist but had never tried riding to work before. Staff writers Tim O'Brien and Cathleen F. Crowley had little experience with bike commuting and were nervous about taking the trip. All emerged with the same reaction: They'd love to bike commute more often if their work days were more conducive to it — except State Editor Casey Seiler, whose work days often keep him at the Capitol and who realized his commute could be shorter if he parked the car.

Here are their accounts of their experiences:

RIDER: Tim O'Brien, transportation writer

BIKED FROM: West Albany to Colonie

DISTANCE: 3 miles (one way)

KEY FINDING: Please don't toss trash at the side of the road.

It had been two years since I'd been on a bike (ironically, since buying a helmet) and I'll admit to being a bit nervous about managing Albany Shaker Road and the Maxwell Road roundabout.

I did not want to make a left at the busy corner of Albany Shaker and Osborne roads, as I do when driving, so I figured out a way to ride through side streets and come out half a mile closer to work. I discovered Albany Shaker does have wide shoulders except coming back to Albany Shaker and Osborne when you near that intersection. (I have no qualms about making a right there coming home, though in the end I chose to cut through The Crossings.)

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Tell us about your bicycle commuting experiences at http://blog.timesunion.com/gettingthere/.

Other than a bug that flew in my mouth during a practice ride (Pa-too!), the commute was easy. No cars honked, people gave me room, and even the roundabout was effortless. It helped I was not riding at rush hour.

You do notice things riding a bike you don't in a car: a normally invisible incline suddenly makes you pedal harder. Those sewer grates by the side of the road are no fun to ride over but sometimes it's better than moving into the lane. The dirt swept to the side of the road makes it slippery, and people who throw junk at the side of the road are inconsiderate jerks. Hey, I'm riding there!

RIDER: Cathleen F. Crowley, reporter

BIKED FROM: Guilderland to Colonie

DISTANCE: 5.6 miles (one way)

KEY FINDING: Roundabouts are scary.

I biked to work, once. I quit because my trip (at least the quickest route) took me up Fuller Road, across Central Avenue and then the length of Wolf Road to the Times Union. Cars came too close and a bus almost nicked me taking a right turn onto Wolf from Central.

This time, I mapped out a route that traveled mostly quiet residential roads and a bike path in The Crossings. That part was delightful, especially on the sunny morning I chose to ride.

But there was no avoiding the three roundabouts on Fuller Road. As I approached each rotary, the bike lanes – if you can really call them that – disappeared. The little white line painted on the pavement a few feet away from the edge of the road slanted quickly toward the curb, forcing me into traffic. I know state law allows bicyclists to ride in the middle of a car lane when the road is too narrow for a car and bikers to ride side by side, but few motorists know that. Inside the rotary, I used my Superman stare to catch the eye of drivers trying to enter in front of me. It was truly uncomfortable. I love to drive through roundabouts, but biking through them feels life-threatening.

I love biking, but I had never ridden to work before because of what happens after the ride — you know, work.

I ride in workout gear, because if I'm doing it right I sweat. But my usual workday uniform is a suit and tie. Bicycle commuting challenges that crisp-and-pressed thing. And what about out-of-office meetings, sometimes over lunch? Do I change into my gear again for an hour's ride to Jack's for crabcakes?

But one gorgeous morning last week I carefully loaded office clothes into a backpack and headed west. I glided downhill and then pedaled back up again to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute campus, then cruised down the steep slope into Troy and across the Green Island Bridge. I wound my way through Watervliet's side streets, climbed a wicked hill on Troy-Schenectady Road (Route 2) to Delatour Road, where I cut south and into a leafy area of Colonie. It was easy from there on in.

I often wished for wider shoulders on the roads. But my only moment of panic came as darkness fell on the trip home: I had gotten held up at work, and the eastbound climb took longer than I expected. I made it just at sunset.

It was fun. I had been so pumped from the ride that I probably doubled my usual daily work output. Based on corporate mileage rates, I saved more than 10 bucks. So if I had a stationary job and no commitment to starched shirts, I could get into the bike commuting habit.

RIDER: Gary Hahn, arts editor

ROUTE: From Albany's Pine Hills neighborhood to Colonie

DISTANCE: 8 miles (one way)

KEY FINDING: Stay in touch with your Spidey-sense.

Here's how I keep alert when I'm biking to work: Everyone I see behind the wheel of a car is a drunken texter who cheated to pass the eye exam on their last trip to the DMV.

I've been biking to the Times Union for years, and up until recently, I would have to bike home in the wee hours of the morning. The good news is there is less traffic. The bad news is all traffic is suspect. You can arrive home at 2 a.m. with enough leftover adrenaline to begin house projects.

I know that even when I get behind the wheel of a car, I often do not think of "cyclist" first, so I can only imagine what non-cyclists must not be thinking about.

Here's my mea culpa. I am not one of those cyclists who adhere to every driving rule. I sometimes jump onto a sidewalk when I see road-work messiness ahead. I occasionally bike on the left-hand side of the road to avoid crossing and re-crossing. And when I'm at an intersection where there is no traffic in any direction, etc.

Now you, the driver, might say that after the above admissions I should recuse myself from climbing onto any high horse and complaining about driving habits, and you would be right. I came of biking age in the no-helmet era, and I have spent years being mostly successful in removing any bad biking habits from my repertoire. That said, if we are all to share the road, I have to do my share in following rules. What I do know is that any action I take will most likely cost me more dearly than the guy driving a Humvee.

RIDER: Casey Seiler, state editor

ROUTE: From Pine Hills neighborhood to the Capitol

DISTANCE: 2 miles (one way)

KEY FINDING: I could get there quicker on two wheels.

I'm a regular bike rider, but not to or from work — a great waste during the most pleasant weeks of spring and fall, when you don't have to worry about freezing to death or sweating through business attire.

Tie tucked into shirt, I pedaled on Madison Avenue, although narrow Myrtle Avenue just two blocks south offers a one-way eastbound alternative. The greatest challenge was faced alongside Washington Park, where the pavement in the biker's margin is pocked and treacherous, a problem amplified by sewer covers that seem to be set about an inch below street level.

It is with shame I admit to arriving at the Empire State Plaza just 12 minutes after leaving home. Most days, it takes me longer to drive the same stretch.

For those who'd rather not lock their bikes outdoors at the Capitol complex, there's a little-known locked enclosure next to the bus turnaround near the midpoint of the underground concourse. The state Office of General Services provides keys for a nominal fee.